Apparatus for peeling fruits and vegetables



Sept. 25, 19,23.

w. D.- Bos-r ET AL. APPRATUS Fonf PELING RqI'Ts AN'D- VEGETABLES,

Mmm

5e-pt. 25

w.' D. -lacjsT E1' AL APPARATUS FR-pEEL'ING FRUITS AND VGETABLES Origin AF'ilje Aug. 20,-. 1919-; 7 sheetsfshet'e um GMM INVENTOR- Sept. 25 1923. mgm

DLBos-r fla-TALv APPARATUS Fon PEELING 'FRUITS AND fvxacnizTALxQ;istV

Original Filed Aug; 2o. 1 919' f1 sheets-shaw Sept.- 325, 19.23, L

W. D. yBosT ET'L- APPARATUS FOR FEELING' FRUITS AND'VEGETABLES original Filed. Aug; zo'. 1919 ,'/sep-s-sheetvl sept. 25",'v 1923. 1,468,873

W. D. BOST ET AL APPAATUS FOR PELING FRUvITS AYND VEGETABLES `Original Filed Aug. 2c. 1919 'rvsheets-Sheet 5 Sept. 25

w. D. BosTAET AL AP'PARATUS FOR FEELING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES original F11-ed Aug. 2o, '1919 v sheets-meet" 6 WITNESSES Septzslgzs.;

w. D. 'Bos-'r ET AL "APPARATS FOR FEELING FRUITS AND'VBGETABLES original Filed Aug. 20. 1919 Y. 'Isneets-sheet Y INVENTORS Patented Sept. 25, 419923.

` WILLIAM D. BOST, OF LOS ANGELES, HARRY M. MILLER, OF SOUTH PASADENA, AND GEORGE W. GARWOOD, OF MONTE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T NATIONAL FEELING MACHINE COMPANY, OF LOS AN- GELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION CALIFORNIA.

FRUITS AND vEGETABLEs.

Application led August 20, 1919, Serial No. 318,639. Renewed July 9, 1923.

To 'all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, `WILLIAM D. Bos'r, lHARRY M. MILLER, and GEORGE lV. GAuwooD, citizens of the United States, said MILLER residing at South Pasadena, countyofLps Angeles, and State of California, and said Bos'r residin at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, an State of California, and said GAnWooD residing at El Honte, county of Los An les, and State of California,have invente a new and useful` Apparatus for Peeling Fruits' and Vegetables, of whieh the following .is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for peeling tomatoes and other vegetables-and fruits, andan object of the invention 1s to prov-ide an ap aratus by which the skins of the fruits anc vegetables are punctured or erforated andy the skins after Abeing perorated are flushed o' of the pulp' bodies.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of this character in which the fruits or vegetables are turned after the skins are per- `forated, and streams of' water are caused to play on the turning fruit.

Another object is to providek a construction which will insure to a maximum degree the removal of the skins from* the pulp bodies of the fruits and vegetables without injury to said bodies. A

Another object is to make provision for perforating, gashing or slitting the'skins of fruit or vegetables while turning them, so that the skins will be cut aroundtheentire fruit body. i

Another object is to carry the fruit in a step by step motion and turn it while streams 'of water are falling on the fruit bodies. I

Another object is to perform the operations of slitting the skins and conveying and turning the fruitl without injury to thefruit bodies. i i

Other objects and advantages will appear in the subjoined detail description. The accompanying drawings illustrate an apparatusembodying the invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an appa-k ratus builtin accordanpe with the provisions ot this invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig, 1,

i of said conveyor.

away lto 'contract the view.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail of a portion ot the upper conveyor operating mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a Sectional elevation on line indicated by s-a:8, Fig. 7.

Fig.\9 is an enlarged detail of the knifeactuating-mechanism.

Fig, 10 is a sectional elevation dicated by :vw-a, Fig, 9.

Fig. 11 is a sectional elevation on line indicated by .r11-ar, F ig. 9.Y y

Fig. 12 is anv enlarged sectional v,detail of some. oi the water discharging nozzles.

Figs. 13, 14, 15 und 16 are more'or less diagrammatic views illustrating four different positions of some oi the parts of the operatingmeehanism of the upper conveyor.

Fig. 17 isa diagrammatic view illustrating the path of movement of any point on any one of the conveyor strips.

Hereinafter, to make this specification on line inas. concise as possible` the term fruit will be employed exclusivelytosignify yor define not only fruits commonly designated by4 that term but also vegetables, it being understood that the term fruit defines any fruit or vegetable having a skin or peel that can be removed by the operations of the machine. t

There are provided a water-distributing tank 1, a conveyor 2 beneath the tank 1, perforating, puncturing, cutting or slitting mechanism 3 at one end of the conveyor 2, a conveyor and separator 4 beneath the conveyor 2, and a tank 5 beneath the upper run of the' conveyor 4 and above the lower run The tank 5 has a sump near its middle portion, the bottom 7 of said sump beingaslant toward one side of the tank. 4Connected to the sum 6 is the intake 3 ot' a pump indicated in general by the character 9, the discharge 1() of said pump being connected tothe piping 11 which dischar es into the tank 1. Over the sump is a de ecting plate 126 whichA prevents too strong a suction effect on the water immediatel over the'sulnp. rlhe tank l may be initially filled by a water supply pipe 12 .pivot 20 projects through a slot 22 in the .lever 18'so as to allow tor change of distance between the pivots 19, 20 when the lever is moved to operate the valve. The valve 17 slides in ways 23 and is provided with aseries of lower ports 24 adapted to cooperate with the'ports 16 to allow liquid to flow from the interior of the valve to the space beneath the bottom 25 of the tank 1. The valve 17 is also provided with upper ports 26 and these ports are in staggered relation to the ports 24 so that water flowing through the ports 26 will not descend in vertical columns or currents to the ports 24 but will be Spread and distributed before reaching the ports 24. Thus the valve 17 insures evenness of distribution of the water that flows' therethrough. The ports 15, 24, 26 are in the form of elongate slots.

' The tank bottom 25 is spaced at one end from a downwardly and inwardly slanting end member 27 of the tank l so as to form a port 28 therebetween, and at said end of the bottom 25 there isA provided a'level-regulating gate comprising any desired number of gate strips 29 shitably mountedin ways 30 at the sides of the tank l. One or more of the strips 29,may Jbe removed so that the level to lwhich the water will riseiin the tank 1 will be lowered, thus to regulate the head `or force of the water owing through the ports 16. W'hen'the valve 17 is not open sutlcientlv to discharge water as. rapidly as it. is admitted through the pipe 12, the surplus volume will i'low over the uppermost strip 29 and discharge through the port 28. Beneath the tank bottom 25 is provided a series of nozzle members 31 spaced from the bottom 25. The nozzle members 31 with the exception of the endmost ones are arranged in inverted il-shaped pairs which are spaced slightly from one another and from the endmost nozzle members, the lower end o-.the member 27 forming one of the nozzle memiaeaeva bers and the nozzle member at the opposite end being connected by an end wall 32 with.. the bottom 25. Another wall; 33 extends.. from the bottom 25 to one of the nozzle members 31 so as to form a passage 34- communicating with the port 28. rlhe space between the nozzle members and bottom 25 is further enclosed by side walls 127.

rhevater passes from the space immediately over the nozzle members 31 through the nozzle openings 35 formed by the slotlike spaces between adjacent nozzle members. Means are provi/ded to adjust the size ot' the nozzle openings and for this purpose each nozzle member 31 is provided on its upper face with a plate 36 secured near its upper margin by bolts 37 to the associated member 31. Countersunk in the upper face ot' each of the members 31, beneath the associated plate 36, are nuts 38 and into each nut38 is screw-threaded an adjusting screw 39 extending through the member 31, the upper ends of the screws 39 bearing against the under tace of the associated plate 36. 'By loosening the bolts 37 and screwing the screws 39 inwardly the lower edges of adjacent platesv 36may be caused to approach one another so as to reduce the size of the opening between them, thus to diminish the thickness of the sheetsof water adapted to 90 discharge through the nozzle openings 35. 1When the lates 36 have been thus adjusted, the bolts 37 will be tightened up so as to securely hold said plates in the adjusted positions. It is to be noted that theports 16 are not positioned immediately over the nozzle openings 35 but are in staggered relation` thereto, said ports being positioned over the apex of the inverted V-shaped mem/bers formed by the" respective pairs of associated nozzle members.

The conveyor 2 will now be desc'rihed. Arranged transversely of the nozzleiopen# ings 35 and beneath said openingsls a series of spaced slats or strips 40 which are mounted at their ends on cross members 41 that are connected at their ends to side members 42i of the conveyor 2. The upper edges of the slats 40 form alternatively arranged humps f' and depressions 43, 44 which together pro- 1.1 -duce wave-like or scalloped supporting surfaces. Between each two adjacent slats 40, and spaced therefrom, are movable slats orstrips 45. The upper edges of the slats 45 form alternatively arranged humps and depressions 46'. 47 so as to produce wave likei or scalloped supporting surfaces the salme' as] 4the slats 110.v

The slats 45 are-connected at their endsy to transversely extending cross bars 48` that-l are provided at their ends with bearings 49 l, in which are journaled pivots 5() projecting from arms 51 respectively. -The arms Y' are pivoted at 52 to oscillating levers153 which .in turn are pivoted at'54 to bearings 13 ing stops 75 adapted to bc engagedv byv the" 55 fastened by bolts 56 to the lowerv margins of the conveyor sides 42. The parts 50 'to 55 inclusive, just described, are arranged in pairs, there being a pair Connected to each of the cross bars 48. Each of the arms 51 is provided with a pin 57- andeach pin 57 engages a slot 58 in an arm 59. aThe arms 59 are journ'aled at their lower ends on the pins 54, respectively, between the levers 53, and bearings 55. One of each pair of the levers 53 is pivoted at 60 to opposite ends of a connecting rod 61 and each connecting rod is pivoted at 62 to a link 63 which is pivoted at 64 to a crank 65 on a shaft 66 that is? journaled in bearings 67 fastened to the con! veyor vsides 42. The shaft 66 is provided with a sprocket- .wheel 68 driven by a sprocket chain 69' which in' turn is driven by a lsprocket wheel 70 mounted on a shaft 71 journaled in bearings 72 that are fastened to two'of the standards 73 which support. the tanks 1. 5 and conveyor 2.' The shaft 71 .f is provided at one end with a pulley 74' which may be belted to a motor solastol produce the desired operation-0f the slats 45. I A The arms 59 are provided with lugs formlower ends of the arms 51 when the pivots' 52, 54. 57are substantially in verticalalin'e-v ment with one another as in Fig. 7 so that the joint 52 of the toggle devices, formed by the arms 51 and levers 53, cannot break toward the lefty in Fig. 7 but only tward'V the right. Assuming that the parts of the mechanism just described for moving the slats-45 are in the positions shown in Fig. 13. the path of movement described by the pivot 57 and also by any given point onany of the slats 45 is shown diagrammatically inFig. 17 of the drawings'. said path of movement) consisting of four limbs, a vertical movement downwardly indicated by the line a, a downwardly curved longitudinal movement indicated by the line b, a vertical upward movement. indicated by the line' c,

'and an upwardlyv curved longitudinal movement indicated by the line (l. In Fig. 4 of the drawings the discharge end of the conveyor 2 is at the left andthe .intake end of theright, and the direction of motion b is from the discharge end toward the intake end` and 'the direction of motion a. is from the intake end toward the discharge end. Thus it. is clea that the slats 45 in their forward movement will be in their uppermost positions and that said slats in their rearward motion will be at the lower portion of their movement. When the parts are I in the positions shown in Fig. 13, the bottom of any one of the depressions 47 will be at the point e in Fig. 17; when the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 14 said bottom will be at the point f,f when the parts are in the positions v indicated in Fig. 15

the bottom of the depression will be at the point g; and when the parts are in the' positions indicated in Fig. 16 the bottom of the depression will be at the point la.. When the bottoms of the depressions are at the point esaid bottoms will be\slightly above the level of the tips of the humps 43,

and the centers of the depressions 47 will be slightly to the left of the centers of the humps 43 so that tomatoes or other fruit which may be on the slats 45 will be deposited slightly to the left of the centers of the humps 43 when t-he slats 45 make themovement a, thus allowing said tomatoes to roll forwardly down the' humps into the depressions A44. This rolling movement of Vthe tomatoes of course turns the tomatoes so as to expose other portions thereof to the water discharging from the nozzle openings 35.

he fruit discharges onto the conveyor 2 from 'the .perforating-or cutting mechanism 3 -which will now he described There is provided a seriesoflongit-udinally extending spaced strips 76on which the fruit can r5ll.,;1;"1 he upper edges of the strips 76 are .scillopecthe humps of the scallops being cater .at 77 and thedepressions at 78. 1s produces wave-like supporting surfaces vfor the ytomatoes -to travel on.- The strips 76\arev .connected together at their discharge ends by ,-a'jc'ross bar 79 and at their intake ends by' across bar 80. 1T he outermost strip 42, the arms 83 and plates 86 being provided with a plurality of holes-128, 129 so that the pivot 85 can beselectively engaged with said holes in order to produce relativeadjustment between the arms 83 andthe members 42, thus providing for change of, angular movement of the arms 83. Since the arms '83 are disposed at an angle to the vertical,

76 i1t' each' side is provided with a down- "plurality of holes 84 in the ears 81 so that.

it is clear that the direction of motion of the discharge ends of the strips 7 6 can be altered i by changing in the. pivot 85 in to different positions in the ,arms 83 or plates 86, and that by changing the position of the pivots 82 in the ears 81 the slant of the 'strips 76 can be altered.

The crossbar 80 is with bearings 87 whic are supported by pivots 88 projecting from oscillatlng levers 89, there being a plurality of holes 90, 91 in' the bearings. 87 and levers 89, respectively, '130 so that the pivots 88 can-be selectively enles to change the ends oi the strips 78 s 89. thus providing lor duplicate s 9 and aoke o1 the strips i e increased and decreased. I levers at their lower portions form sectors 92 which are pivoted at 93 to pitmen j 9d. The pivots cen be selectively engagedivith any one of a number o holes 95 in the sectorsV 92 so as to change the throw or the arms 89, thas providing for change length of stroke of the strips 70. The pitnien 94 are pivoted at 90 to cranks 97 on shaft 98 which rotate in bearings 130 asto the sides'li?. 'lhe centers oi the pivots 90 so that change of position of tne pivots 93 in the sectors 92 'will not change the angular relation o the arms 69 relative to the strips 76. The shaft 98 is provided with a. sprocket wheel 99 driven by a sprociret chain 100 which in turn is driven by a sprocket Wheel 101 mounted on the shalt 71, thus providing for operation or" the strips 50.

lotation of the cranks 97 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 9, assuming that the .parts are 'in the position shown in said tignre, causes the rear ends of the strips 76 to be thrust first upwardly and forwardly and then downwardly and rearwardly. Adjustably fastened along one side of the strips 76 by screws 102, or their equivalents, are knives 103, said knives having slots 104 to accommodate the screws 102 so that the knives can be raised or lowered relative to the strips 76. The knives 103 are scalloped thesame as the strips 76, the humps of the scallops being indicated at 104 and the depressions at 105. Thus the knives have waveiike upper edges. The knives'103 are adjnsted to project sufficiently above the level ot the strips 76 so that said knives will cut through the skins of the fruit but not an appreciable depth into the pulp bodies of the fruit.l Whether the fruit engages the yhumps 104 or the depressions 105 of the knives, it is clear that the knives will tunction to puncture, periorate. cnt, or slit the skins of the fruit. the motion given to the knives by actuation of the strips causing even the relatively tough skins of tomatoes to be perforated orl cnt. lt is clear from the foregoing that, when the rear ends of vthe knives are raised, the fruit will tend to roll toward the discharge end of the knives and that the movement of the knives will tend to intermittently advance the fruit the intake ends of the knives toward the discharge ends thereof While at the same time producing perforating or slits in the skins of the fruit.

The conveyor fi, in this instance, is constructed as follows: An endless perforate er oraminous belt or apron 100 constructed of wire screen or other suitable material is fastened at its margins to endless sprocket chains 107 which are rove around sprockets 108, 109. The sprockets 108 are mounted on a shaft/'110 journaled in bearings 111 fastened to one end of the tank 5. The sprockets 109 are mounted on a shaft 112 journaled in bearings 113 fastened to the other end of the tank 5. The shaft 112 is also provided with another sprocket wheel 114 driven by a sprocket chain 115 which in turn is driven by a sprocket Wheel 116 mounted on the shaft 71. r1`he upper run of the belt 108 travels over the tank just above the lane on the upper edge of said tank, an the lower run of the belt 106 passes beneath the tank 6. Positioned inside of the belt 106 between the sprocket 109 is a nozzle formed of a piece of perforated pipe 117 which is connected to a Huid-supply pipe 118 adapted to supply fluid such as water, steam, or air to the nozzle 117. The nozzle 117 is positioned close to the lower run of the belt 106 substantially in line with the points on the sprocket Wheels 109 Where the sprocket chains leave said sprockets. Beneath the sprockets 109 is positioned a receptacle 119, having' a drain outlet 120. The tomatoes or other fruit may be fed to the intake end of the knives 103 by any suitable means, such means, in this instance, comprising a chute or trough 121.

lt is understood that the apparatus described above may be utilized to operate on any fruitor vegetable of a nature capable of being,r freed from the skins or peelings by the various operations performed by the machine. llowever, 'in'order to describe the operation of the machine and the method whereb the. fruit or vegetables are freed from t eir skins, the operation of the machine and the method will now be described in connection with the freeing of tomatoes of their skins.

" lThe lever 18 will be operated to open the orts 16 and the valve 13, will be opened to c arge the tank 1 with water. Power will be applied to drive the pump 9 so as to pump Water rom the tank 5 into the tank 1, and the lever 18 will be adjusted to move the valve 17 into position to open the ports 16 the desired degree. The water will pass from the tank 1 into the enclosed space above the nozzle members 31 and will be caused by said nozzle members to fall in relatively thin sheets extending transversely of the machine and also transversely ot the conveyor 2. The falling water will pass between the slats 40, 45 and thenceinto the" tank 5 vand because of the pump 9 the water w1ll be caused to circulate through the machine and can thus be used over and over.

As soon as the operator has obtained the;l

desiredvolumes of the streams of water isthrough the nozzle openings 35, by manipulation of either the valve 17 or nozzle plates 36 or both, he will cause tomatoes to be fed to the chute 121. The tomatoes thus fed to the chute 121 will have -first been treated with a' suitable alkali or other f matoes are cut in numerous places by the knives. The knives can only sink into the tomatoes to a depth corresponding to the height of the upper edges of the knives above the upper edges of the strips 76. The depth of cut will be ypreferably just sufficient to cause the knives to cut entirely through the tornato ski-ns. By properly adjusting the pivots 88, 122, the knives 103 may be caused to give a hacking stroke upward against the tomatoes as well as a drawing or slashing stroke so that the knives will penetrate even the toughest skins. This is very important for, as is well known, the skins of tomatoes are exoeedingly leathery and tough and so smooth as to tend to resist the cutting action of a knife.

The intake ends of the knives 103 and strips 76 are caused to be intermittently elevated so that the tomatoes will be caused to roll forwardly along said knives and strips. Thus the tomatoes will begiven a step by step motion forwardly toward the conveyor 2. The cross bar 79 is aslant forwardly and downwardly so that when the tomatoes reach said cross bar they roll thereover and discharge upon the slats 40,

' 45. The slats 45 on their upward strokes engage the under sides of the tomatoes so as to 'raise the tomatoes from the slats 401l To make clear the action of the slats 40, 45 upon the tomatoes it will be assumed, for

example, that a given tomato on being `discharged onto the conveyor 2 will roll into the nearest depressions 44 of two of the slats 40 immediately over one of the slats 45 and that said depressionv at the time is at point in Fi 7. TheV Slat 45 in moving upwardly romg tov In in the path c causes the tomato to be engaged by one ofthe humps 46 of said slot. The tomato will thereupon roll forwardly into'the next forward depression 47 of the slat 45 and will also roll sidewise so as to partly rest in one of the depressions 47 of 'one of the next adjacent slats 45. The slats 45 will then be lgiven the forward motion l from hy to e, as in Fig. 17, thus carrying the tomato a step forward toward the discharge end of the conveyor 2. l-pon downward motion of the slats 45 from v to f in the path-a the tof mato will be lowered and,will be engaged by one of the humps 43 of one of the adjacent' slats 4() and the tomato willthereupon roll forwardly into the adjacent depression 44 ofthe slat A40 and will also roll sidewise so as to partly rest in one of the depressions 44 of one ofthe next adjacent. slats 40.v ,On

account of the humps 43, 46 being in stag-- gered relation, it is clear from the foregoing that when the tomato asses from the slat 45 to the slat' 40 and to the slat 45 the tomato will not only roll longitudinally of the conveyor 2, but will also roll toward one side or the other yof said conveyor for a slight distance. Thus lthe tomato will advance in a step by step zigzag motion and atthe same time be yturned over und over in various directions s0 as tto expose all portions of its cut. surface to the sheets or streams of water falling from the nozzle openings 35. The slats 45 then travel from f to g in the path 7) while the fruit is supported by'the slats 40.

Water from the falling streams enters the fruit through the perforations, punctures, cuts or slits in the skins between the 'skins and the'pulp bodies and causes the skins of the fruit to slip from the pulp bodies, the force of the streains of Water being just sufiicient, owing to the force of gravity on the water, to penetrate the .open-A ings iu the skins or peelings 'so as to push the skins outwardly from the bodies and gently flush the skins from the bodies. At the discharge end of the conveyor 2 the fruit bodies denuded of their skins are re moved from said conveyor or dischatrged therefrom into a suitable receptacle or chute, not shown. The skins thus washed or flushed ofi` of the fruit are flushed downwardly between the adjacent slats 40, 45 and fall upon the belt orv apron 106 which functions to carry the skins toward the right in `Fig. 4 so as to discharge them into the receptacle 119.y Some of the skins will drop from the belt 106 into the receptacle 119 without, the provision of any means to force them from engagement with the belt.

rom the slat 40- However, there will be a tendency for some of the pieces of skin to stick to the belt- 106 and the uidissuing from the nozzle 117 t iaeaevs wter through the overflow pipe -14C, the pipe l12 admitting fresh water in sufficient volumes to replace the water discharging through the overflow pipe.

The method described above is not claimed herein but is the subject'of the pirior a lication of William D. Bost and arry No. 298,595.

The invention'is not limited in its broader phases to-the exact details of construction described above and shown in the drawings. but the invention also includes such changes and modifications as lie within the spirit and sco e of the appended claims.

We c aim:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, movably mounted spaced strips, knives extending lengthwise of the strips with their cutting edges turned upwardly, and means to move the strips endwise and up and down.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, knives having their cutting edges turned upwardly, means to move .the knives endwise and up and. down, and means to prevent the knives penetrating more'than a predetermined distance into the vegetable or fruit on the knives as the knives operate.

3; In an ap aratus of the character described, mova ly mounted strips knives mounted on the strips and having their cutting edges projecting above the upper faces of the strips, and means to move the strips endwise.

.4. In an apparatus of the character described, movably mounted strips havin their upper faces scalloped, knives mounte on the strips and `scalloped to correspond with the `strips and having their cutting edges projecting above the upper faces of the strips, and means to move the strips endwise.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, -movable mounted strips, knives mounted on the strips and having their cutting edges projecting above the upper faces of the strips, and means to move the strips up and down. v

6. In an apparatus o "E thecharacter described, movably mounted strips having their upper faces scallo ed, knives mount'- ed on the strips and scal oped to correspond Miller, tiled May 21, 1919, Ser..

with the strips and having their cuttin edges projecting above the upper faces o thestrips, and means to move the strips up apd down. l

7. In an apparatus of the character described, movably mounted strips, knives mounted on the strips ano having their cutf ting edges projecting above -the upper faces of the strips, and means to move the strips endwise and up and down.

8. In an apparatus of the' character described, movabiy mounted strips' having their upper faces scalloped, knives mounted on the strips and scalloped to correspond with the strips andv having their cutting edges projecting above the upper faces of the strips and meansto move the strips endwise ahd up .and down.

9. In. an apparatusof the character de-v f scribed, means to perforate theskins of the fruit, means torrece'lv'e and turn the fruit, means to operate the skin-perforating means and the fruit-turning means, and means to,

discharge sheets of liquid upon the fruit on the fruit-turning means.

10. In an apparatus of the character described, means to turn the fruit and perforate the skins thereof, means toreceive and turn the fruit, means to operate the skin-perforating means and the fruit-turning means,

and means to discharge'sheets ofliquid'upon the fruit von the fruit-turning means. l

1.1. In an apparatus of the character described, means to convey the fruit, -mean's above the conveying means to dischargev liquid upon the fruit on the conveying` means,

a tank beneath the conveying means, a

foraminous apron between the convey/ine` means and the tank, and apron.

12. scribed, means to convey the fruit, means above the conveying means to discharge liquid upon the fruit on the conveying means, a tank beneath the conveyin means, means to pump liquid from the tan to the liquiddischarging means, a foraminousa 'ron between the conveying means and t e tank, and means to move said' apron. l 13. In apparatus Jof the character described, means to convey the fruit, meansabove the conveying means to discharge liquid upon thefruit on the conveying means, a tank beneath the conveying means, a. foraminous apron between the' conveying means and the tank, means* to move the apron, and means to discharge afluid stream -through the apron adjacent one end thereof to dislodge particles of skin therefrom.

14. Inan'apparatus of the character 'de scribed. 1means to convey the fruit, means above the conveying means to discharge liquid upon the fruit on the conveying means, a tankheneath the conveying means, an endless ioranrinous apron between the conveymeans to move said In an apparatus lof the character delusing means and the tank, means to move the apron, and means to discharge a fluid stream scribed, a Water-distributing tank having- 15. In an apparatus of the character described, strips, knives fastened tosaid strips, a. pivoted lever pivotally connected with one end ofthe strips, means to oscillate the lever,

Aand a pivotally mounted arm pivotally connected with said strips.

16. In an apparatus of the character described, strips, knives fastened to said strips, a pivotedlever pivotally connected With one end of the strips, a pitman connected with the lever, a crank to operate the pitman, means to turn the' crank, and a pivotally mounted arm pivotally connected with said strips.

17. In an apparatus of the character described, slats, strips between the adjacent slats, pivotally mounted levers, arms pivotedl to the levers and pivotally connected to the opposite 'ends of the strips, pivotally mounted arms having slots at their upper ends, pivots extending from the levers into said slots, stops on the last named arms to limit the movement in one direct-ion ofthe first named arms when the levers are in one position, and means to move the levers t0 cause the first named arms to move l:trom and toward the-stops.

18. In an apparatus of the character deports in` its bottom, valves to control the flow of water through said ports, and means below the level of the tank to perforate the skins of fruit and convey the fruit beneath the tank.

19. In a peeling machine, the combination of a Water-distributing tank'having ports in its bottom, and means to move the fruit beneath the tank.

20. In a. peeling machine, the combination of a Water-distributing tank having ports inA its bottom, means below the level of the tank to make openings in the skins of fruit, and

means to move the fruit beneath the tank after the openings have been made.

21. In a peeling machine, the combination 'I of water-distributing and discharging tank, a conveyor beneath the 'Water-discharging tank having openings for the discharge of Water therethrough, the space between the.

lWater-discharging tank and conveyor being Jfree and -unobstructed to permit the Water to fall directly upon the articles on the conveyor, and means'to operate the conveyor.

In testimony whereof, We have hereunto set our hands at Los Angeles, California,

of August, 1919.

WILLIAM D. BOST.

`HARRY M. MILLER.

vGEORGE W. GARWOOD.

In presence ofl CLARENCE' B. FOSTER, LEONARD S. LYON.-

this 9th day 

